Stretcher.



` E. cHAssAmG.

STRETCHER.

APPLlcAlon man FEB. a. 191s.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

p mi TED sTATEs PATENT oEErCE.

EUGENE CHAssAING, 0E rams, EEANCE, Assreivon' To MARCEL DUFOUR, EMILE JACQUELIN, AND RENE ACHILLE HEERE. ALL '0E Ennis, EEANCE.

STRETCHER.

Speceationof Lettrsv'Patent. PatQn'tedNov, 13,V 1917,

Application area Ee'truary 3, 1916. semaine. '775,951'.

To ,all whom t may concern .f p p Be it known that EUGENE CHAssArNG,

of 4 Boulevard Saint-Marcel, Paris, Re

'exact y' description.

At the present time, 'all questions relating to the amelioration of the'lot ofthe sick'cr wounded' are olf `rthe firstimportance. In particular, the transport Yof the wounded and the sick, Awithout aggravation of their condition, has been at 'all times'one ofthe primary considerations of physicians and surgeons.

Stretchers now in existence for transporting the si'c'k or wounded do not give satisfaction 1to medical practitioners 'and in 4particular supply their t'wo :principal desiderat'a, whichare:

I. Transportof thesick or wounded lperson without liability Vof his being infected during the transport by spotso'r stains left by the woundedorsick person 'who has precededhim on'the'stretcher,'and without himself being liable to infect the Wounded `or sick person who will be transported after him.

II. Bringing Yoft'he patient on t0 or out from the stretcher with the minimum of shock and movement, Vin order to avoid aggravation of his condition, Aiin "particular hemorrhage, etc.

In order to solveithis double problem, itis only necessary to have in the first case "a stretcher which can be easily sterilized between two transportations of wounded or sick persons, and in the second place, that the wounded or sick person can be placed without any shock on the stretcher, and from the stretcher on to his bed or on to the operating table.

A large number of inventors have endeavored to iind a practical solution; all in agreement with the practitioners have unanimously recognized that a stretcher with its canvas or fabric part removable and interchangeable would completely satisfy this double desideratum.

Unfortunately, up to the present, none of the patterns of stretcher with removable canvas or fabric has been found to be practical; all the inventors have been bailled by a diliiculty which they have not been able to overcome in a simple and practical manner.

This 'difliculty, which has not been surmounted, isthe methodof attachment ofthe canvas or fabric to the rigid frame. V

The improxiement which lforms the'object ofthis 'invent-ion, 'consistsin mounting the canvas 'orothe'r fabric, hereinafter referred to as-Canvas, on the stretcherby means of a flexible beadingfarranged on the' 4two sides 'ofthis'canvas which is slid into 'ft-wo grooves -of equivalent form vformed von the longitudinal vmembers -or poles of the said stretcher. Thefbeading at thefsides of the 4'canvas fulfil Vthe part 'of slides, while the grooves in the longitudinal membersfulil lthe partof 'guide ways, asin a drawer.

This Aniethod of mounting the 'canvas is a simple andleco'nomical solution of the problem and Vit has the advantageof being applicable to all'existing types o'f stretcher.

This invention will be hereinafter `-described by way o'feXample with referencefto the accompanying clrawing, in which:

Figure 1 lshows in transverse Asection a firs'tform of construction o'f'the impro-ved stretcher Aforming the `object of this inventin.

Fig. 2 shows in transverse section-fasseond form of constructionof t'he improved stretcher herein referred to.

"Fig". 3 `shows in'transverse section athird form of construction of my improved stretcher.

Fig. l is a plan view of the improved stretcherishown in Fig. 2. Y

Inthe improved stretcher forming the object of this invention, see F ig. l, the two longer sides ofthe canvas a are provided with a flexible beading e formed by a cord, a leather band, a spiral spring, etc.,inserted in a hem f forming a slide. On the other hand, over the whole length of each of the longitudinal members of the stretcher where the canvas is generally iiXed, a groove g is formed, serving to receive the beading e which plays the part of a slide, while the groove plays the part of a guide-way. This groove has toward the exterior a very narrow lateral opening g through which passes the canvas a.

The lateral opening g of the said groove g is enlarged at its two ends in such a manner as to allow the flexible beading e and the hem of the canvas to pass freely.

In order to place the canvas on the stretcher, it is only necessary to introduce t'so the two flexible beadings e simultaneously into the grooves g, then this canvas isV fixed at its two ends in any suitable manner but in any case sothat the canvas is removable.

lt is easy to see, by examining Fig. l,

that the flexible beading e cannot passthrough the aperture g or' the groove and that, in order to withdraw the canvas, it is necessary7 to slide the beadings like a drawer in the groo es toward one or the other end of the stretcher. The placing in position and removal or' the canvas only require a few moments.

This improvement, as will be seen, satisfies the iirst desideratum, viz., a removable and interchangeable canvas. t also .satisies the second dcsideratum above mentioned, viz., to leave the sick or wounded person on the canvas of the stretcher in order to place him in his bed or on the operating table without any shock. t is only necessary, in fact, to take each or' the four corners of the canvas a, the wounded or sick person being above, and to pull in the direction of the arrow, see F ig. 3, the two longitudinal members Z) at the sides or the canvas, which thus forms a kind of hammock in which the wounded person lies and can be placed where desired, this can be done without any shock.

he wounded person with his stretcher' can also be placed in his bed or on the operating table; the two longitudinal members are then withdrawn, after having folded one of the transverse members or distance pieces 72 by sliding them in such a manner that the canvas only remains in place with the sick or wounded person thereon.

ln the example of construction shown in Fig. 2, the groove g is formed of two tubesegments g2 of metal xed .on the outer edge of the longitudinal members b by means of nails or screws z'.

lThese tube-segments reinforce the longitudinal members or poles b to which they members b by means of nails or screwsz'.

Claims.y

l. A stretcher comprising two longitudinal members having longitudinal recesses, and a canvas provided with a flexible beading in each of its longitudinal edges, said beadings engaging the recesses of said members. v

2. A stretcher comprising two longitudinal members `or poles, a canvas provided with hems on its longitudinal edges, a flexible beading'in each. of these hems, a longitudinal recess formed inr each of the longitudinal members and adapted to receive the flexible beading in the hem of the canvas. 3. A stretcher comprising two longitudinal members or poles, a canvas provided with hems on its longitudinal edges, a Aflexible beading in each of the hems, a longitudinal recess :formed in each o the longitudinal members and consisting or a groove having a circular section, the diameter of which is slightly greater than that or' the flexible beading, and a slot of reduced width opening on to the outside i'ace or the longitudinal member.

The foregoing specilication ot my improvements in ambulance stretchers and wheeled ambulances serving for the transport of wounded or sick persons, signed by me this eleventh day of January, 1916.

EUGENE CHASSAING.

Vitnesses: y

CHAs. P. PRnssLY, FRANQoIs WEBER.

Copies ci' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, IL10. f l i 

